Four men on a raft: Farewell La Gomera – next stop the Bahamas – Telegraph

"At last, at last. A high pressure system has developed over the Azores, winds have begun to blow from the north-east and our raft should travel in the desired direction.

The people of Valle Gran Rey on the Canary island of La Gomera have been most positive in their assistance, from the mayor and harbourmaster to the security staff and Oceano, owners of the towing craft.

Our naming ceremony took place an eternity ago. The band played. A considerable crowd assembled. Nuria Gámez, first lady of the local council, came gingerly down the quayside ladder and made a pretty speech before taking hold of the champagne. With force she smashed it against a piece of steel screwed to the mast in anticipation. With greater force she smote again. And again.

At the sixth strike, to great relief, much glass and froth flew everywhere. A cheer went up and the still-dry Nuria Gámez then inspected the accommodation, the 40 containers of food, the five polyethylene tubes of drinking water, the satellite communication gear, the bunks (such as they are), the cooking zone (a single stove) and everything else which at least one of us had considered essential for rafting across the Atlantic. After all, this is to be our home for the next 73 days."

More here.

I blogged about these guys a couple of weeks ago. It's an unusual transatlantic crossing in a raft made from plastic pipes, lead by an 84-year old former science writer.

You can track their passage here.